Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder

15 reviews

chasingpages1's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Torture, Cancer, Body horror, Mental illness, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, Pregnancy, Death, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Sexual content, Kidnapping, Confinement, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Cursing, Gaslighting, and Genocide

Minor: Trafficking, Gun violence, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Infertility, Rape, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

bibliomich's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Umm, I'm not even sure where to begin with this review.

That was a trip, and one that I'm not sure I ever need to go on again. The world that Lucy A. Snyder created in Sister, Maiden, Monster was one that I was able to get swept up in immediately. The exposition moves quickly, as the first of three protagonists (and the reader) are thrust into a new, post-COVID pandemic, the impact of which seems dire. Over the course of the book, we follow three different narrators, whose stories ultimately overlap in meaningful ways, as they navigate illness, exposure, and survival in a rapidly changing world.

I was invested in all of their stories, and I found the story moved pretty quickly, but ultimately the ending fell flat for me. It felt like a lot of buildup with a somewhat anticlimactic conclusion. I think as the book became more and more unhinged, I just expected the ending to live up to that level of build up. I'm interested in reading the short story on which this book was based, and I would definitely read Snyder's work again. Just probably not this one...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Animal cruelty, Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, Cannibalism, Body horror, Animal death, and Violence

Moderate: Chronic illness, Dysphoria, and Trafficking

kurumipanda's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Violence, Murder, Vomit, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Body horror, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Self harm, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Sexism, Grief, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Police brutality, and Suicide

Minor: Sexual assault and Trafficking

izziei's review

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, and Trafficking

kek513's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Started strong as an engaging pandemic tale but really lost the the thread halfway through and didn't recover. The POV shifts for the first time at about 50% of the novel and the pacing never recovers, all tension is lost. And I was disappointed in the ending, it felt so limp and unsatisfying. There was some real potential with this setting, and I enjoyed the set-up, but much of the second half felt 'edgy for edgy's sake' and the dialog got weak.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Body horror, Genocide, Gore, Murder, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Cannibalism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Cancer, and Kidnapping

Minor: Infidelity, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, and Death of parent

cleot's review

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

It's not that the writing quality was bad, the story was just intense in a way that isn't to my taste. See content warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Body horror, Cannibalism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Self harm, Gore, and Medical content

Moderate: Confinement, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, and Police brutality

Minor: Racism, Body shaming, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Child death, and Cancer

under-negotiated kink, blood kink, self surgery, sexual gratification from murder, false rape claim, parasite/ parasitic pregnancies

riotgrrrl92's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

What starts as a creepy, gory pandemic adventure slowly evolves into an eldritch, lovecraftian Handmaid’s Tale. I wasn’t sure if I liked or loved this book until the last quarter of the novel, and I didn’t know it would be a must-read until the very, very end. The book spends a lot of time setting the stage for us, which is something I struggle with, but can’t fault the book for that when the payoff was so rewarding. The messages are loud and clear, which is sometimes necessary, and it helps that I agree with all of them. Amazing female leads, great queer representation, and some of the most disgusting horror I’ve ever read. I’ll be recommending this to ever queer horror fan I know. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Blood, Cursing, Chronic illness, Excrement, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, War, and Vomit

shereadytoread's review

challenging dark

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I think this is overall well-written, and something I would never want to reread. It definitely pulls off queer, lovecraftian, cosmic horror. However, the book is split into parts that make me feel like I'm watching random scenes of a film, but the connective tissue is missing. The scenes are striking and there is lots of social commentary to go around. I think there are some missteps in a few characters, but overall the choices do enhance the horror and depravity of the world the characters exist in. 
If you can't stomach gore and body horror, this might be one to skip.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Death

Moderate: Suicide attempt, War, and Infertility

Minor: Trafficking

kelisabeth's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Police brutality, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, War, Alcohol, Cancer, Rape, Infertility, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Animal death, Cannibalism, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Pandemic/Epidemic, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, Death, Medical content, Trafficking, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Violence

silentquercus's review

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Cannibalism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Murder, Police brutality, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Body horror, Violence, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Self harm, Pregnancy, Stalking, Blood, Confinement, Gun violence, Infertility, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Drug use, Ableism, Genocide, Excrement, Trafficking, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Abortion